Perfect Gift
by hunnyfresh
Summary: It's Regina and Emma's first Valentine's Day as a couple, and Emma has absolutely no idea what to get Regina


**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognizable characters**

**AN: So I realized I never got a holiday fic up ever, so enjoy the abundance of Valentine's/Love feels with the stories posted up today.**

* * *

"So no gifts?"

"No gifts."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked as she handed a file folder to Regina. "This isn't a test where you say no gifts but really expect a gift, is it?"

"Ms. Swan, we've been dating for less than two weeks, and the unfortunate timing of our situation happens to fall near this ungodly holiday, so no, I do not expect jewelry, or roses, or chocolates," Regina answered curtly.

"Our situation?" Emma laughed. "We're dating, Regina. We're not running a bartering system."

"Well I beg to differ," Regina said in a low voice as she raked her eyes up and down the Sheriff's body.

Emma grinned and placed her hands on her hips. She leaned over and placed a kiss on the brunette's lips. "If you say so."

* * *

Valentine's Day crept up two days later with Emma and Regina agreeing wholeheartedly that they wouldn't exchange anything this year. Sure, they had fooled around months prior, but they were a legitimate couple for only a couple of weeks, and they were far too new to be celebrating the holiday. Emma forked some eggs in her mouth as she watched her roommate arrange a bouquet in a vase. She raised an eyebrow and swallowed hard. "I thought you and David were done."

"We are," Mary Margaret answered with the faint traces of a blush. "These are from Dr. Whale."

The blonde scrunched up her face. "Oh god, you didn't."

"No," the school teacher added water to the vase. "He's just being polite."

"I can tell what he wants from you tonight," Emma muttered around her food.

Mary Margaret turned slowly, glaring at her roommate. The blonde simply shrugged, daring the other woman to prove her wrong.

"So what did you get Regina?"

Emma stood taking her empty plate to the sink. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah," Emma turned with her back to the sink. "We have a no gifts rule this year."

The blonde felt suddenly uncomfortable under her friend's questioning gaze. "What?"

"You think she means that?"

"Yeah," Emma answered uncertainly.

She ignored the if-you-say-so look on her roommate's face as she headed back to her room to change for the day.

* * *

"Ruby Lucas!" A buff man dressed in a toga and carrying a bow and quiver entered the diner where Emma was seated, having decided to leave the station to pick up lunch.

Ruby emerged from the back, eyes instinctively roving over the body of the nearly naked man standing at the entrance of the diner. The makeshift cupid pretended to shoot an arrow in Ruby's direction before handing the waitress a large heart-shaped card. "You have an admirer."

"An admirer?" Emma asked as soon as the messenger left.

Ruby grinned and opened the card. "_Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart._" She pressed the card to her chest. "This is too sweet."

"Hey Ruby," Billy approached from his booth shyly. "You like the card?"

"You sent it?" The waitress asked, leaning over the counter. The mechanic nodded, causing the brunette to grin. "Love it."

Emma scratched her head returning to her cocoa. Did a card count as a gift? Should she even acknowledge the day, and at least say Happy Valentine's Day to her new girlfriend? Maybe she should.

She dug out her phone and was surprised to find a text from the woman in question.

_Stop by the office._

She gasped inwardly. What if Regina had a surprise for her, and she was really just testing Emma on her gift-giving skills? She could actually just need her to come in to the office, but it was Regina she was talking about. She always has an ulterior motive.

Chugging down her hot chocolate which had eventually cooled to become chocolate milk, Emma stood and exited the diner, stopping along a select store just in case.

* * *

Regina had no ulterior motive. She honestly just wanted Emma there to discuss some budget changes to the Sheriff's department. The blonde felt like a fool for shelling out the cash for the gift sitting in her pocket, but she'd rather be safe than sorry.

After lingering just to be absolutely certain, the Sheriff walked the Mayor to her car, promising she'd be at the mansion later on that night.

She found Henry on her walk back to the station with a heart-shaped box of candy in his possession. "Whatcha got there, kid?"

She smirked at the boy's blush. "Just a gift."

"For?" Emma extended the vowel to tease her son.

He mumbled his response.

"Can't hear you, Henry."

"It's for Paige, okay?" He answered aggravated.

"You got yourself a Valentine," Emma teased poking his cheek. He quickly swatted her away, rolling his eyes at her life. "Should I get her something else?"

"I think you're safe with chocolates, kid."

"What'd you get Mom?"

Emma immediately lost her playful disposition. "Uh, nothing?"

"Are you going to dinner?"

"No."

"Did you get her lunch?"

"No."

"Did you even say happy Valentine's day?" The boy had stopped walking to question his blonde mother.

". . .yes." She hung her head at Henry's glare. "She said she didn't want to celebrate!"

"She also said she hated you," the ten year old pointed out.

Emma just nudged him in the general direction of Paige's street. "Be back for dinner."

* * *

Emma was nervous by the time she knocked on the mayoral mansion that night. What were the odds Regina actually meant what she said? It was a toss up really. The door was suddenly pulled open, but before she could question the brunette and her insistence to forego the holiday completely, she was silenced by Regina arguing into a cell phone and pressing her fingers to her lips for Emma to keep quiet.

The blonde shook off her jacket and hung it on the banister where Regina was sure to scold her for it, but the Mayor was currently occupied and wouldn't dare interrupt her important phone call to yell at her.

Emma watched as Regina disappeared into her home office and almost completely shut the door. Someone would be tense tonight, Emma decided as she helped herself to a drink from the fridge. She sat at the island and sipped, hearing Regina's stern and annoyed voice drifting into the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes passed before her stomach rumbled. Judging from Regina's aggravated look and terse tone, Emma concluded that Regina hadn't even thought about dinner, let alone eating it, so the Sheriff slipped off the stool and began rummaging in the kitchen, hoping to have some semblance of a meal ready for when the Mayor was finished with her phone call.

Only a handful of people knew that Emma could cook, not as well as her brunette counterpart, but she wasn't awful. She just enjoyed other people's cooking more than her own. Why cook when you can be cooked for? That was her motto. But there were times when she was sick of TV dinners or Mary Margaret had parent conferences, or times like this, though this was the first, when her girlfriend was too consumed with work to even step into the kitchen that Emma decided to show off her culinary skills.

* * *

Regina slammed the phone down after over an hour of listening to some blubbering contractor who insisted she didn't read the fine print and agreed to have the statue that stood proud in front of Town Hall to be demolished. She was never wrong. Did he know who she was? Fool.

She rubbed her temples in small clockwise circles before she heard the distinct sound of her stove's fan. She growled under her breath. Perfect. Emma chose today of all days to destroy her kitchen.

She stood from her desk with every intention of releasing her anger on the unsuspecting blonde, but by the time she reached her kitchen's entrance, she stopped shock at the domestic look of the blonde wearing an apron and garnishing two perfectly grilled chicken breasts with parsley, the plate already containing an assortment of steamed vegetables.

The Sheriff looked up when she felt Regina's presence. "I hope you don't mind. Thought you'd be hungry. Henry went over to Paige's after his session, and they invited him over for dinner. She's his Valentine." She said the last statement with a smirk, but Regina remained rooted to the spot.

Emma poured two glasses of wine and carried them over to the surprised brunette.

Regina remembered herself and accepted the proffered glass with a nod. Balancing the plates on an arm and carrying her own glass in the other hand, Emma made her way to the dining room and set the plates down, Regina following shortly after.

* * *

"I had no idea you could cook," Regina commented after dinner. Both their plates were clean as they stood to take the dishes into the kitchen.

Emma opened the dishwasher and relieved her load before tapping her nose as her response. When she stood she was almost surprised to find Regina within an inch of her, her hand resting on Emma's shoulder before the brunette closed the gap between them to press her lips against the Sheriff's in gratitude and appreciation.

Emma grinned into the kiss, her hands automatically resting on the Mayor's waist. "Maybe I should cook more often."

Regina rolled her eyes before sauntering to the foyer. "Will you be coming to pick up Henry?"

The brunette was already whipping off Emma's jacket from the banister, answering for the blonde. She looked when a small box flew out of it and hit the hardwood. Crouching to pick it up, Regina held the small box in her palm when Emma stepped in, blushing when she saw what was in the Mayor's hand.

"I couldn't tell if you were serious," Emma quickly explained, taking the coat from her.

Regina smirked as she stood and eyed the box. She didn't need to open it to know it was some kind of jewelry, but she handed the box back all the same, clasping her hand over Emma's in reassurance. "You can give this to me when we're fighting."

Emma laughed at that. "So expect it sometime next week?"

Regina didn't answer though she shook her head playfully as she put on her coat. She probably would be receiving it next week.

"Are you sure it wasn't a test?" Emma asked.

Regina took a step towards Emma. "You already gave me a gift."

Emma scrunched up her face in confusion before she was met with a tender peck on the lips from the older woman.

"Thank you for dinner."

Emma beamed. "I'm definitely cooking more often."


End file.
